Teaser4:
WASHINGTON, Nov 28 (Reuters) - The Pentagon is considering a Boeing proposal to supply Ukraine with cheap, small precision bombs fitted onto abundantly available rockets, allowing Kyiv to strike far behind Russian lines as the West struggles to meet demand for more arms.

U.S. and allied military inventories are shrinking, and Ukraine faces an increasing need for more sophisticated weapons as the war drags on. Boeing's proposed system, dubbed Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB), is one of about a half-dozen plans for getting new munitions into production for Ukraine and America's Eastern European allies, industry sources said.


GLSDB could be delivered as early as spring 2023, according to a document reviewed by Reuters and three people familiar with the plan. It combines the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) with the M26 rocket motor, both of which are common in U.S. inventories

Doug Bush, the U.S. Army's chief weapons buyer, told reporters at the Pentagon last week the Army was also looking at accelerating production of 155 millimeter artillery shells - currently only manufactured at government facilities - by allowing defense contractors to build them.

The invasion of Ukraine drove up demand for American-made weapons and ammunition, while U.S. allies in Eastern Europe are "putting a lot of orders," in for a range of arms as they supply Ukraine, Bush added.

"It's about getting quantity at a cheap cost," said Tom Karako, a weapons and security expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He said falling U.S. inventories help explain the rush to get more arms now, saying stockpiles are "getting low relative to the levels we like to keep on hand and certainly to the levels we're going to need to deter a China conflict."

Karako also noted that the U.S. exit from Afghanistan left lots of air-dropped bombs available. They cannot be easily used with Ukrainian aircraft, but "in today's context we should be looking for innovative ways to convert them to standoff capability."

Although a handful of GLSDB units have already been made, there are many logistical obstacles to formal procurement. The Boeing plan requires a price discovery waiver, exempting the contractor from an in-depth review that ensures the Pentagon is getting the best deal possible. Any arrangement would also require at least six suppliers to expedite shipments of their parts and services to produce the weapon quickly.

A Boeing spokesperson declined to comment. Pentagon spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Tim Gorman declined to comment on providing any "specific capability" to Ukraine, but said the U.S. and its allies "identify and consider the most appropriate systems" that would help Kyiv.

Although the United States has rebuffed requests for the 185-mile (297km) range ATACMS missile, the GLSDB's 94-mile (150km) range would allow Ukraine to hit valuable military targets that have been out of reach and help it continue pressing its counterattacks by disrupting Russian rear areas.

GLSDB is made jointly by SAAB AB (SAABb.ST) and Boeing Co (BA.N) and has been in development since 2019, well before the invasion, which Russia calls a "special operation". In October, SAAB chief executive Micael Johansson said of the GLSDB: "We are imminently shortly expecting contracts on that."

According to the document - a Boeing proposal to U.S. European Command (EUCOM), which is overseeing weapons headed to Ukraine - the main components of the GLSDB would come from current U.S. stores.

The M26 rocket motor is relatively abundant, and the GBU-39 costs about $40,000 each, making the completed GLSDB inexpensive and its main components readily available. Although arms manufacturers are struggling with demand, those factors make it possible to yield weapons by early 2023, albeit at a low rate of production.

GLSDB is GPS-guided, can defeat some electronic jamming, is usable in all weather conditions, and can be used against armored vehicles, according to SAAB's website. The GBU-39 - which would function as the GLSDB's warhead - has small, folding wings that allow it to glide more than 100km if dropped from an aircraft and targets as small as 3 feet in diameter.

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/100-mile-strike-weapon-weighed-ukraine-arms-makers-wrestle-with-demand-sources-2022-11-28/

They should do it and allow Russia crush them more, since una nor get sense say dem nor Dey use fire quench fire

Quelme:
NATO just indirectly admitted their failed policy in Ukraine.

They told us that Russia has run out of supplies and logistics and no longer have the capacity to strike Ukraine.

Wartime

Goddson:
USA playing with fire.

You’re so funny.... nairalanders sef

Good news, Ukraine needs all the help it can get, to drive the Russians out of their country

i dont care

God1000:

Very needless and senseless war orchestrated by Vladimir Putin

Crazy Putin will stop the air bombardment knowing full well that Ukraine can hit russian soil.

Putin has already lost this war, he's been humiliated

I hope you knew what happened in Ukraine when a bridge was bombed

Zelensky know better to not try that shit.

Yeah, "Putin has already lost this war" yet, NATO and EU are still scrambling over sending weapons to Ukraine because Russia keep destroying the ones sent.

Bigchristo:
They should do it and allow Russia crush them more, since una nor get sense say dem nor Dey use fire quench fire

Crush them more in the battlefields?
Or bombing electrical grids and apartments buildings..
Why didn't Russia crush them 9 months ago

God1000:
Very needless and senseless war orchestrated by Vladimir Putin

Crazy Putin will stop the air bombardment knowing full well that Ukraine can hit russian soil.

Putin has already lost this war, he's been humiliated.

The use of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons is off the table because there will be retaliation from NATO and that will be the end of Russia.

This is the most foolish war in modern history

Oga leave other countries and fight to make ut own beta..

$40,000 for just one bomb, ask them for money for health care, education, food for people facing famines in Somalia right now all you will get is excuses of no money.

USA can promise

frankson1:
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I hope you knew what happened in Ukraine when a bridge was bombed

Zelensky know better to not try that shit.

Yeah, "Putin has already lost this war" yet, NATO and EU are still scrambling over sending weapons to Ukraine because Russia keep destroying the ones sent.

Wow, never know you were a war reporter,
Since you know that Russians keep destroying Ukraine weapons..
Don't you know that weapons are needed to sustain the pace of the war,, Ukrainians will always need more and more weapons

Quelme:
NATO just indirectly admitted their failed policy in Ukraine.

Failed as how, please enlightened us??
A NATO equipped Ukraine military, as put a major military power to flight..

US is the biggest slaughterer of Ukraine. If they stop equipping Ukraine, the war would have been over long ago, but they would rather fight to the last Ukrainian, watch the country burn to ashes, just to see if they can bring Russia down. Good luck with that. [/quote]
Are u serious at all?

we know there is more from where that came from.


Send even more devastating toys, or package am give me, make I send them some, then keep some. If na me, I go send them one button weapons that can direct mean missiles to Moscow and its environs. Russia needs an opposition like kim jun un, but very close in proximity to them.


The Baltic nations will not forgive Russia for centuries to come. Russia is a terrorist nation, not just to Ukraine, but the world at large. Just after pandemic,the war was Russia's gift to the world. A very wicked place.

Where those 4k boys led by the General of all oloshos DerrickzB

Remember operation "we go dark", winter is coming to you war crime criminals earlier than you expected

Wait for the code of this new operations, Goddson the only useless child of his parents what is the geopolitical gibberish you wanna say this time around

pansophist:
US is the biggest slaughterer of Ukraine. If they stop equipping Ukraine, the war would have been over long ago, but they would rather fight to the last Ukrainian, watch the country burn to ashes, just to see if they can bring Russia down. Good luck with that.

So Russia could invade and take over another country.
If Russia didn't invaded will there be any need to give Ukrainians weapons..

If a group of guys invaded your family with cutlasses and you had only sticks, will you allow them to kill one of your person and take over the family because you don't want bloodshed, or you look for people who will give you cutlasses too and defende yourself..

Hotice085:
Where those 4k boys led by the General of all oloshos DerrickzB

Remember operation "we go dark", winter is coming to you war crime criminals earlier than you expected

Wait for the code of this new operations, Goddson the only useless child of his parents what is the geopolitical gibberish you wanna say this time around

Godson the most stupid of them all,
Sorry useni is the most stupid

obedience4:


Godson the most stupid of them all,
Sorry useni is the most stupid

useni so your level don reach the General DerrickzB
Where is the hopeless boy, maybe shitting out his anus out by now

Quelme:
NATO just indirectly admitted their failed policy in Ukraine.

Which American Failed Policy Are You Talking About?

pansophist:
US is the biggest slaughterer of Ukraine. If they stop equipping Ukraine, the war would have been over long ago, but they would rather fight to the last Ukrainian, watch the country burn to ashes, just to see if they can bring Russia down. Good luck with that.

Stop writing like an ignorant person abeg. Ukraine was never a military power yet Russia attacked it, if the US had not intervened Russia would have taken over Ukraine by now. Is that the "end of the war" you want? Where Ukrainians are abandoned by the West and Russia successfully takes over the country?

Hotice085:


useni so your level don reach the General DerrickzB
Where is this hopeless boy

Useni will be around this time tendering to his cows

God1000:
Very needless and senseless war orchestrated by Vladimir Putin

Crazy Putin will stop the air bombardment knowing full well that Ukraine can hit russian soil.

Putin has already lost this war, he's been humiliated.

The use of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons is off the table because there will be retaliation from NATO and that will be the end of Russia.

This is the most foolish war in modern history.
The invasion of Ukraine has become counterproductive, today Finland and Sweden have joined the NATO military alliance

May God bless you for this TRUTH! People keep blaming America that they started the war! America didn’t ask Russia to invade Ukraine! As a matter of fact the whole world leaders begged Putin but he is a sadist and an evil to this world. Russia has one of the biggest landmarks in this planet. What else do they want with small Ukraine landmark if not greed and selfishness

Odward:
Very good, all these little help in return for something hooge we sabi US before no be today

America? When I Told People That America Has Different Strategy In This War People Didn't Believe Me

Otobong3374:
America? When I Told People That America Has Different Strategy In This War People Didn't Believe Me

So nations should not assist Ukraine with weapons to defend themselves abi? You try well well!


World nations leaders begged Putin to stop the invasion even after 2 weeks of invading Ukraine! Y’all call them scared and fear fear! Now they have all decided to arm Ukraine to the teeth! Y’all calling them evil. The craze wey dey worry una for this country e clear me say na hunger and hardship dey cause am

obedience4:


Useni will be around this time tendering to his cows

No wonder, while the other general is in Kazakhstan tending to oloshos

POOtin 4k boys just useless pass useless

pansophist:


If I allow my little brother win a hand wrestle,l challenge, does it mean I have been humiliated? When will you realise that Russia's soft-gloves treatment is not weakness?

This guy self eh. This your example no follow at all. The truth is bitter, and your Russia has been humiliated. They have lost lots of Generals already, used their main battle tanks of which the Ukrainians have destroyed at lot of, carried out several air raids which the Ukrainians have managed to counter a lot of etc.
Your almighty Russia is now buying drones from Iran and secretly requesting for assistance from China just to see how it can save face. May I remind you that out of the 4 regions Russia claimed to have taken, Ukrainians have collected 1 of the regions (Kherson) and will still take back the remaining 3.

Constablepatr:
The defeat on UKRAINE swill bring shame to NATO and it allies that’s why they need to break there savings to weaponize Ukraine but already he’s defeat sending weapon now is just a source of reconciliation for NATO. Russia did a good calculation it’s winter already most NATOS don dey feel am. I will detest anyone that’s unpatriotic to his country and people. That’s what UKRAINE is doing

Lol. Shame to NATO when Ukraine is not even a NATO member? NATO is not even directly part of the war. I like how you Russian apologists deceive yourselves.

Reporting34:
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obedience4:


Crush them more in the battlefields?
Or bombing electrical grids and apartments buildings..
Why didn't Russia crush them 9 months ago

Don't Follow That Idiot, Putin Is A Failure To Russia. Two Weeks A Go Putin Wasted Hundred Of Long Range & Short Range Nuclear Weapons In Bombing Ukrainian Buildings &power Station. Is It Not Foolishness?